Wednesday, 7 May 2008

The month of May has arrived with a full flourish of summer weather (well it has in the south eastern part of the UK, apologies to those who live elsewhere!). Normally we wouldn't be expecting this amount of hot sunshine until June.
In honour of the promise of more great summer days to come, here is my scone recipe, ideal for eating out in the garden at teatime.
I even found some British strawberries, grown in Kent! These are very early by tradition, so I can only assume they are from protected crops, but they tasted just as good as the seasonal summer ones.

Clotted cream is also essential, I just love its almost toffee-like texture and the crusty bit on top. Yes, I know it's naughty, but as an occasional treat, it's just fine.

To make the scones, sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl, lightly rub in the butter with your fingertips, into the mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add the sugar and raisins or sultanas.

In a jug, beat the egg and 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk together and gradually add this to the dry ingredients, mixing the dough with a fork. When it begins to come together, finish off with your hands – it should be soft but not sticky (if the dough seems too dry, add a little more buttermilk, a teaspoon at a time).

Form the dough into a ball and place it on to a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to at least 1 inch thick – try not to roll it any thinner. To make sure that your scones turn out to be well-risen you should make sure you start out with a thickness of no less than an inch.

Cut out the scones by placing a 2 inch cutter on to the dough and pushing down quickly – whatever you do, you must resist the urge to twist it, as this will compress the dough at the sides and will impede the rising process. Just lift it up and push the dough out. Keep going until you are left with the trimmings, then bring these back together, roll out again and repeat until you can cut out the last scone.

Place the scones on the baking tray and brush them lightly with the buttermilk. Now bake on the top shelf of the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until they are well risen and golden brown.

Remove them from the tray and place them on a wire rack to cool.

Serve the scones with generous amounts of strawberry jam, clotted cream and top them off with fresh strawberries.

A Little Bit About Me

I've been an avid collector of recipes over the years – mostly from books and magazines, but also from family and friends too.
I make no claims to being a perfect chef, but the people who eat what I cook, invariably, leave the table happy and satisfied.
Whilst I haven't yet extensively travelled the world, a comfy sofa, the internet and piles of books full of beautiful photographs, have served me well in gaining some knowledge and experience of other countries and their cuisine.

Desserts & Puddings

Miscellaneous

How To

Tasty Tips

MAKE WASHING-UP EASIER: After you've chopped meat or fish or used eggs or flour in your food processor, rinse out with cold water first, before immersing in hot. This stops the remnants from cooking on, making cleaning easier.

GET THE MOST FROM CITRUS ZEST: Grate the zest directly into the bowl, in which you are mixing your ingredients, as this will catch all the oils that burst from the skin, giving maximum flavour.

USE CLING FILM TO ROLL OUT PASTRY: Put one piece on your work surface, dust with flour, place dough on top and dust with flour again. Put another piece of cling film over it and roll away. Stops it from sticking and makes everything so much easier to clear up afterwards.

INVEST IN A SET OF MEASURING SPOONS: A teaspoon is only a teaspoon by name – with correctly sized spoons specifically for the purpose, you'll never get it wrong again.